Zelenskyy: Military clash with North Korean troops is matter of days, not months

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reported that Ukraine expects a military clash with the North Korean military in the coming days.

Source: Zelenskyy in an interview with South Korean TV channel KBS

Details: The Ukrainian president said Russia is planning to use North Korean soldiers on the battlefield in Ukraine shortly. "This is a matter of days, not months," he noted.

Zelenskyy also stated that he is aware of approximately 3,000 North Korean soldiers currently stationed in a Russian training camp, with plans for this number to rise to 12,000. "Agreements are also being negotiated [between Pyongyang and Moscow] to send engineering troops and civilians to work at military plants in the Russian Federation," he added.

The president believes that Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin will try to achieve results on the battlefield by recruiting more North Korean soldiers than Russians, as mobilisation in Russia itself is unpopular.

Quote: "This hurts Putin's rating because most Russians do not support mobilisation and do not want to fight. For Putin, North Korea is a way out of this situation, and for its leader, it is an opportunity to gain combat experience. I am sure that the North Korean leader, like Putin, disregards the lives of his soldiers."

Details: The Ukrainian president also stressed the need to comply with international law and prevent torture. "The most important thing for us is POW swaps. Therefore, we are ready to exchange North Korean soldiers for Ukrainians," Zelenskyy said.

Background:

• On 28 October, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed the presence of North Korean troops in Russia, particularly in Kursk Oblast, where Ukrainian forces are currently conducting an operation.
• Vadym Mysnyk, spokesman for the Siversk Operational Strategic Group, reported that Ukraine’s defence forces have not yet had combat contact with North Korean military personnel and have not taken any prisoners on the Kursk front.
• On 13 October, Zelenskyy said that North Korea was supplying Russia not only with weapons but also with personnel, and called on partners to increase their support for Ukraine. On 17 October, Zelenskyy stressed that Russia intended to involve about 10,000 soldiers from North Korea in the war against Ukraine.
• On 18 October, Kyrylo Budanov, Head of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, confirmed that about 11,000 North Korean infantrymen were currently undergoing training in Russia’s east. They will be ready to take part in combat actions against Ukraine as early as 1 November.
• The first North Korean military units that had been trained at training grounds in eastern Russia arrived in the war zone on 23 October and were spotted in Kursk Oblast.

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